Sweeten It Up A Little
by Mtbookworm
Summary: David Jacobs life is routine. He wakes up, goes to school, sells he papers, hangs out with the guys, and watches while his sister and his best friend stare hopelessly at each other. One day though, he meets a girl with bright green eyes and a bag of sugar crystals who changes everything. Written for round one of the Newsie Pape Selling Competition Forum.


**Super excited about this story. This first part is for the **_**Newsie Pape Selling Competition Forum**_** and I am a proud representative of the Santa Fe Dreamers.**

**The first round was to write about your favorite newsies, and I will always love David.**

**My prompts were: **

**Your newsies meet the love of their life**

**Green**

**Sugar**

"**Life is tough"**

**Hope you guys like it.**

David Jacobs life was routine, and to be honest, he kinda liked it better that way. Sure the thrill and excitement of the strike had been fun, but now it was nice for things to be back to normal. It was a new normal, but it was still normal.

In the weeks that had followed the strike his father's arm had healed and he had been able to go back to work. His parents had wanted him to give up selling papers all together, but he had been admit about it. He loved selling and the new friends he had made and he wasn't about to give those up.

That's how David Jacobs fell into a new routine. He went to school in the morning and sold papers on the afternoons and the weekends. Les sold with him only on the weekends, that was one thing his parents couldn't compromise on. Most days he would eat with the guys at Tibby's dinner after selling. Yes, life was routine, but routine was pretty great.

So David was expecting that day to be like all the others. After school he meet the other guys at the circulation desk to pick up the afternoon edition. After getting his fifty papers he and Jack headed out to their selling spot. But seeing as their selling spot was a few blocks form David's house and his sister decided to grace them with her presences, Jack quickly got distracted and offer to take Sarah for a nice stroll while he sold his papers, effectively leaving David on his own.

"You don't mind, do ya Davey?" Jack had asked as he wove his hand with Sarah's and smiled that lopsided, goofy grin his friend got every time he saw her. It made David both incredibly happy for the two and oddly uncomfortable at the same time. It made him happy to see both his sister and friend so happy, it was just odd that it was with each other. Or maybe it was just him and the fact the relationships both eluded and confused him.

Anyways, so that was how David found him self on a street corner trying his best improve the horrible headline by himself regretting having bought so many papers. The last paper he had sold was to a girl who had come over, bought a paper, and the scampered off while giggling to her friends. Not that he was complaining as to having sold a paper but it was slightly uncomfortable. Deciding that there was no way he was going to sell his last ten papers he relented and was about to turn and head for Tibby's when all of a sudden someone crashed into him and he landed flat on his back with someone on top of him.

As soon as his head stopped reeling and his vision focus did he realize that he was starring into a pair of wide green eyes and was face to face to a girl with unruly brown hair, as well as cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Oh my Goodness, I am so sorry." The girl sprang away from him as quickly as she could, which only resulted in her falling over again. David scrambled to his feet himself and then bent over to help her up.

"Here, let me help you up." He reached over and pulled the girl slowly to her feet in fear she might fall over again. "Are you always this clumsy?" He asked as she stumbled slightly as he she stood.

"Not normally. I swear it's the damn dress. I am not used to it. Normally I am very good on my feat." She laughed as she dusted herself off, looking around to realize that her suitcase had spilled open onto the street.

"Are you kidding!" She exclaimed and ducked down to stuff her belongs back in her bag. David ducked down as well to help her and it only resulted in the two of them banging heads as she looked up.

"Ow! Sorry, that one…was my fault." He laughed and proceeded to help her gather her things. Most of it she had already gathered but there was small cloth sack near him.

"Here is your bag of…" he looked in and saw that it was full to the brim with candy that looked exactly like his brothers favorite, "…sugar crystals."

"Please don't judge," she said as she took the bag from him with a sheepish smile "they are from my favorite candy store back home."

Once the two had gathered all her belongings back in her suitcase, they stood up, and he got to take a good look at her. Just as before the first thing that he was drawn to were her eyes, which were the most brilliant green. She had long brown hair that was falling down around her and in her face. She was wearing a very simple dress that clearly she was uncomfortable in. But that didn't take a way from the fact she was by far the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

"Are you okay?" She asked which brought him back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he stuttered.

"Your cheeks got really red for a second." She laughed and he laughed with her. "Are those newspapers?"

"What?"

"Slung around your shoulder, are those newspapers?" She said gesturing to the newspapers hanging on the string like Jack had showed him.

"Oh yeah, they are." He smiled sheepishly again. Gosh what with him.

"So are you a newsie?" she asked matter of factly, which caused him to buffer even more than he already was.

"How did you know?" he fumbled.

"Why else would you have ten newspapers around your shoulder." She smirked.

"Oh, uh right." And she smiled again and he swore his heart skipped a beat.

"Are you always this articulate?"

"No, I swear! Normally I am a lot better with words. My friends even call me Mouth sometimes."

"Oh really," She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well then it's a pleasure to meet you Mouth, the name is Knots." She held out her hand for him.

"Knots?" He asked as he shook her hand.

"Yeah, Knots. You told me your newsie name so I thought I'd tell you mine."

"You're a newsie?" He knew girl newsies existed but the girl standing in front of him was not was pictured.

"One of Chicago's finest." She beamed.

"You're from Chicago?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions. But yes…and no. Technically I am from Manhattan but I have been living in Chicago since I was about ten." She looked slightly forlorn as she said this and David suddenly felt compelled by the urge to make her smile again.

"Well, seeing as you have been gone for quite some time, and there is no way I am going to sell this last few papers with such a horrible headline, what would you say to a stroll threw Central Park." He said, and, with surprising calm, offered her his arm. She smiled that bright smile again as she took it.

"I would love to."

So the two made their way to Central Park, stopping every now and then to let Knots gaze at something she recognized. They mostly talked about the sights of New York on the way. Once they were seated on a park bench however David broached a new topic.

"So, how did someone from New York end up in Chicago, if you don't mind my asking?" He asked her as she was gazing up at the trees.

"I don't mind." She said turning back to him. "I was born here. I had both my parents and an older brother. And things were decent. Then my mother died, and my father got arrested, so me and my brother wound up on the streets. He was a good brother, always trying to take care of me. One day he went out to try and get us some food. When he didn't come back I went out looking for him. I was found by people form the orphan train. They put me on and I was adopted in Chicago. It took about a year before I decided to run away. I joined up with the newsies there and was there for five years." She sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"What made you decide to come back?" He asked eagerly.

"I can see why they call you Mouth now." She laughed. "I don't know what exactly did it. For one I was getting too old. Most girl newsie don't make it past 14 before they have to stop selling. I'm sixteen, so I guess I got lucky. So I thought coming back here would be a good place to start. See if I cant find my brother. But, enough about me, how about you. What's your tragic back story?"

"I don't really have one," he let out, "both my parents are still alive, my dad works, I have sister who is sixteen, a brother whose ten. Nothing really tragic."

"Then how on earth did you become a newsie coming from a family like that?"

"A few months ago my dad hurt his arm in factory accident so they fired him. I became a newsie to help pay the bills. Then the strike happened and I got to be good friends with the guys, so by the time my dad's arm got better I just couldn't give it up." He finished, and she smiled again before pausing.

"Wait did you say you were involved in the strike that happened here?" She asked earnestly.

"Yah, you heard about?" And apparently that question was funny because she burst out laughing.

"Of course I heard about it. Every newsie from here to Cincinnati heard about. That was a great thing ya'll did, standing up for the little guy. You're practically a national hero." And he started blushing again.

"It was the right thing to do. And I doubt I am a national hero. Jack maybe, but not me."

"Don't sell yourself short…" but then she stopped.

"What is it?"

"I just realized I don't know your name, your real name." She said and he realized what an idiot he was for not telling her his name.

"David." He said maybe a little to quickly. "David Jacobs.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you David Jacobs."

"Well?"

"Well what?" She raised another eyebrow. He noticed how each time she did that it her eyes seamed to get greener.

"What's your name? I told you mind, so don't you think I should know yours?" He questioned. She blushed.

"I don't like my name. It's ridiculous."

"I'm sure it's not."

"Oh it is."

"Please tell me?" He leaned in and tried to do his best pleading look, though it wasn't very good because she started laughing again.

"You really should leave the puppy eyes to younger newsies. But fine, I'll tell you. Just promise you wont laugh."

"I promise." He nodded and she drew in a breath.

"It's…Temperance." She said it so softly that he couldn't even hear it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said."

"Temperance. My name is Temperance." And she looked as though it was painful for her to say it. He thought it fit; her name was almost as beautiful as she was.

"I don't understand why you don't like it, it's beautiful." He said slowly.

"It's not that I don't like it," She replied, "it is just, no one has called me Temperance in a long time."

"Well, would you mind if I called your Temperance?"

"Only if I can call you David." She smiled.

"I would love it if you would call me David. All the guys call me Mouth most of the time. I miss my name."

"Well then, David, I best be off." She said as she stood up. "I need to find a place to stay for the night. It was pleasure meeting you." He immediately jumped up as well.

"You could stay at the lodge." He said earnestly. "We have a few spare bunks. No one would hurt you."

"That's a very kind offer but like I said, I need to find something else than being a newsie." He tried his best to conceal his sadness at her words.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Temperance." He held out his hand and she took it gladly.

"It was lovely meeting you as well David Jacobs." And then she turned to leave, before he called out to her.

"Wait, I have another question?" She turned back around and raised the eyebrows above her bright green eyes once more.

"Yes?"

"Why exactly do you have a bag full of sugar crystals?"

"Life is tough," She shrugged her shoulders as she said it, but a smile was still on her face, "so I always carry some sugar crystals, to sweeten it up a little." She turned away again, but something in him couldn't let her go just yet.

"One more question." He called out, worried he wouldn't hear her. She turned back again and before she could speak he said, "Will I see you again?"

"Meet me here tomorrow." She smiled one last time, and then was gone.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for David. He went to the Dinner to eat, and when the guys asked him why he took so long, he said he got distracted. When they asked him why he looked so out of it, he said he was tired. And that night he lay in bed awake thinking of the girl he had meet and couldn't get out of his head. Even when he finally fell asleep, he dreams were filled with green eyes and sugar crystals


End file.
